$10,000 Reward Offered in Yuma Animal Neglect Cases

The Humane Society of the United States is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for two recent incidences of extreme animal neglect in Yuma, Arizona. The Yuma Humane Society is also offering $5,000.

The Case: News reports give the following account: On March 26, a severely malnourished female pit bull type dog was found in the 2400 block of 14th Street. She was taken to the Humane Society of Yuma, where, due to the extremity of her condition, was humanely euthanized. A week later, on April 4, the Yuma Police Department was called to the 1000 block of East Palo Verde Street about an abandoned 3-month-old, male German shepherd-mix puppy inside a milk crate near a dumpster. He was extremely emaciated and dehydrated and also needed to be humanely euthanized due to the severity of his medical condition.

Animal Cruelty: Getting the serious attention of law enforcement, prosecutors and the community in cases involving allegations of cruelty to animals is an essential step in protecting the community. The connection between animal cruelty and human violence is well documented. Studies show a correlation between animal cruelty and all manner of other crimes, from narcotics and firearms violations to battery and sexual assault.

Ashley Mauceri, manager of cruelty response for The HSUS, said, “Abandoning these dogs to endure such needless suffering is not only a crime, it demonstrates an incredible degree of cruelty. We hope our reward will help uncover information about the perpetrator of these abhorrent acts.”

The Investigators: The Yuma Police Department is investigating. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Yuma Police Department Animal Control at 928-373-4795 or 78-CRIME to remain anonymous.

Resources: The HSUS Animal Cruelty Campaign raises public awareness and educates communities about the connection between animal cruelty and human violence while providing a variety of resources to law enforcement agencies, social work professionals, educators, legislators and families. The HSUS offers rewards in animal cruelty cases across the country and works to strengthen laws against animal cruelty.

The National Sheriffs’ Association and The HSUS recently launched ICE BlackBox, a free smartphone tool, to allow users to record video of illegal animal cruelty and share it securely with law enforcement for possible investigation and prosecution.

The HSUS recently doubled its standard cruelty reward from $2,500 to $5,000 thanks to a generous donation from an HSUS board member. To see information on statistics, trends, laws and animal cruelty categories, click here.